1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to clearing obstructions from implanted catheters and more particularly to a hydrocephalus valve which can be manually pumped to flush attached catheters.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are a number of treatments for medical conditions which require fluid to be removed from an organ or tissue of a patient. One such condition is hydrocephalus, where cerebrospinal fluid abnormally accumulates in the skull faster than it is withdrawn by the body. The excessive build-up of cerebrospinal fluid compresses brain tissues, which eventually leads to brain damage.
Hydrocephalus is commonly treated by implanting a shunt system, typically including a ventricular catheter in fluid communication with a ventricle within the brain, to withdraw cerebrospinal fluid at a desired rate. The rate of withdrawal of cerebrospinal fluid is usually controlled by a valve, located in a housing disposed between the ventricular catheter and a drainage catheter, having one or more pressure settings.
Complications due to obstructions within the shunt system are detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,094,214 by Dextradeur et al., for example. That patent discloses a multi-electrode system for clearing obstructions in a blocked catheter after a probe is inserted into a socket to energize the electrodes.
Other systems utilize a multiple finger approach whereby one finger closes a valve or blocks a catheter while a second finger pushes on the housing to pump cerebrospinal fluid from a reservoir into the blocked catheter, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,375 by Schulte et al. Many systems may be suited for clearing a blockage in one direction but are less suited for clearing blockages in the opposite direction.
It is therefore desirable to have an implantable valve system which enables both proximal and distal implanted catheters to be easily cleared of obstructions.